Twitter To Get "Slick Connect-like Packaging"?

According to Techcrunch, Twitter is working on a new service which competes with Facebook Connect, however details about this supposed product are scarce. As any developer knows, Twitter was already an effective competitor to Facebook, supporting OAuth authentication and providing a robust API to third-party developers. However a new package is in the works and while Mike Arrington doesn’t have details, I would venture to guess that this means the creation of a JavaScript library and new widgets.
Twitter has placed very few restrictions on developers though and a number of visitor widgets have already been developed. TwitterCounter, for example, has developed the Twitter widget which is essentially the Twitter version of MyBlogLog. What benefit would this new package provide? We aren’t quite sure aside from “better packaging” which doesn’t mean much given that Twitter already has an extremely well designed RESTful API.

Facebook has already launched a number of widgets for webmasters and developers, something which Twitter hasn’t successfully rolled out yet. Then again, does Twitter really need to develop more widgets? TweetMeme has essentially developed an identical service to Facebook’s share analytics. TwitterCounter already has a competitor to Facebook’s fan box and page badge.

There is even a competing widget to Facebook’s Live Stream widget however I can’t even remember the name of it, which means there’s still an opportunity to provide Twitter live stream functionality. The point is this: Twitter may be working on a JavaScript version of their API in order to make the service easier to implement, but as it exists, Twitter is already a competitor to Facebook Connect.

I’m not sure how much they could add to become more of a competitor to Connect. Thoughts?

Subscribe to Adweek

Featured Courses

Search MarketingOptimize your website through SEO, social media, and digital outreachLearn more >Facebook MarketingGet smart about how to use Facebook for businessLearn more >Copywriting for Social MediaMaximize your clicks, shares, retweets, and pinLearn more >Skills in 60: How to Name Your Brand or ProductDevelop a unique name for any brand, product, or businessLearn more >See more Courses >